The Army Corps of Engineers will release a study on Monday that explores the feasibility of options to prevent invasive species like Asian carp from entering the Great Lakes, a development that was cheered by House Republicans from the Midwest.
U.S. Reps. Bill Huizenga (R-MI), Dave Joyce (R-OH) and John Moolenaar (R-MI) have led calls for the Army Corps of Engineers to release the Brandon Road Lock and Dam study. Undertaken in 2015, the study examined the feasibility of using a single upstream control point near the Brandon Road Lock and Dam in Joliet, Illinois, for water entering the Great Lakes basin from the Mississippi River basin.
“This is a big win for Northeast Ohio and the entire Great Lakes region,” Joyce, a co-chair of the Northeast-Midwest Congressional Coalition, said. “The release of the draft report is proof that when you work together in a bipartisan way, good things can be accomplished.”
Huizenga, a co-chair of the House Great Lakes Task Force, also praised the long-awaited report. “This assessment will provide critical information on how to best prevent Asian Carp from entering the Great Lakes ecosystem. Republicans and Democrats have worked in a bipartisan manner to get the administration to release this document,” Huizenga said.
In June, lawmakers renewed their calls for the release of the report after an Asian carp breached an electric barrier in Illinois and was found nine miles from Lake Michigan.
“The Army Corps’ Brandon Road report draft is long overdue,” said Moolenaar, who serves as the only Michigan member of the House Appropriations Committee. “The taxpayers paid for this report and it will help us understand the best way to stop Asian carp from entering the Great Lakes. This is a critical step in protecting the thousands of Michigan jobs supported by tourism, boating and fishing, and in preserving the Great Lakes for future generations.”
Following the release of the draft report on Monday, the Army Corps of Engineers will accept public comments on its findings through Sept. 21.
“While the scheduled release of the Brandon Road Study is an important and positive step, it is my hope that we can continue to build upon this bipartisan foundation to enact policies that will protect the Great Lakes,” Huizenga said.